For those following a ketogenic diet, finding convenient and satisfying snacks can sometimes be a challenge. Many store-bought options are either lacking in flavor or filled with unwanted additives. Fortunately, making your own keto bars at home is not only easy but also allows for complete control over ingredients and nutritional content. This article explores various keto bar recipes, offering a range of flavors and textures to suit every palate.
Why Make Your Own Keto Bars?
Prepared keto bars can be expensive and often contain ingredients that don't align with a clean keto lifestyle. Crafting your own bars ensures you know exactly what you're consuming, avoiding hidden sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial additives. Homemade bars can be tailored to your specific dietary needs and preferences, making them a perfect fit for your keto journey.
No-Bake Keto Cookie Dough Protein Bars
These cookie dough protein bars are super tasty and so much better than any store-bought protein bars! If you're looking for a quick and easy protein boost, these no-bake cookie dough protein bars are an excellent choice. This recipe requires zero baking so these bars are ready to go in under 15 minutes! The chocolate chips with the almond butter create the best flavor combo! The easy cookie dough protein bar is soft yet holds together well with the protein powder. Here’s how to make them:
Ingredients:
- Keto-friendly sweetener
- Almond butter
- Chocolate chips
- Protein powder
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients except for the chocolate chips to a medium-sized bowl.
- Transfer the mixture to a prepared baking dish and PRESS FIRMLY as this will help hold the bar together.
- Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before cutting into 9 bars.
- Make sure to use a keto confectioners sweetener.
- Store airtight in the fridge.
Easy Keto Peanut Butter Bars
If you're a peanut butter lover, these no-bake keto peanut butter bars are the ultimate low-carb treat! They are ridiculously easy to make and require minimal ingredients.
Key Ingredients & Considerations:
- Peanut Flour: This is a key ingredient for achieving the right texture. Peanut butter powder and PBFit are essentially the same thing and work just as well. The powdery consistency is what gives these bars their unique texture. Just make sure that whatever you choose, it does not contain any added sugars. The original PBFit has sugar, but there is also a sugar-free version made with monk fruit.
- Almond Flour Alternative: You can use almond flour but it has a higher fat content than peanut flour, so you will need more of it to achieve the same dough-like texture. You will know you have the right consistency, no matter what flour you use, when the dough holds together and really feels like cookie dough. Actually, the consistency is more like play dough.
Ingredients:
- Melted butter
- Melted peanut butter
- Sweetener
- Vanilla
- Salt
- Peanut flour
Instructions:
- Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with wax paper or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter, melted peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla, and salt.
- Stir in peanut flour until dough comes together (it will be like a dough, not like a batter).
- Press dough firmly and evenly into prepared baking pan. To really get it even, cover it with more wax paper or parchment paper and use a flat-bottomed glass or measuring cup to press.
Chocolate Glaze (Optional):
- Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, and add the chopped chocolate and butter.
- Stir until melted and smooth.
- Pour over bars and use a knife or offset spatula to spread to the edges.
Storage:
- I recommend storing them in the fridge in a covered container, so that they don’t get overly soft. They do stay firm at room temperature for a few hours, if you don’t live in a hot climate. They can last up to 3 weeks, if properly stored and refrigerated.
- To freeze, I would wrap up the bars tightly in plastic wrap, to avoid freezer burn.
Sugar-Free Keto Low-Carb Granola Bars
These granola bars taste like an Almond Joy, with a perfect combination of smooth milk chocolate, sweet coconut, and crisp almonds. Luckily, things have changed, and I’d like to think of myself as a sensible adult now. One who still harbors a deep, unflinching passion for Almond Joy, that is. So what is a girl to do when the craving hits? Run to the candy store? Well, these days I’m much more likely to make a sweet treat myself that mirrors those decadent flavors but is actually good for you! These granola bars are easy to make, perfectly sweet, full of healthy fats, and utterly delicious! Made with wholesome ingredients, no sugar, and just a minimal amount of oil, these tasty bars are high in protein, a good source of fiber, and free of additives and preservatives. You can easily make them vegan by replacing the egg with a flax “egg.” In a small bowl, mix one tablespoon of flax meal with three tablespoons of water.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Ingredients:
- Chopped almonds
- Slivered almonds
- Coconut flakes
- Egg (or flax egg)
- Monk fruit sweetener
- Almond butter
- Coconut oil
- Salt
- Chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides.
- Place the chopped almonds, slivered almonds, and coconut flakes on 3 separate small baking sheets.
- Bake until golden brown and toasted. The coconut will only take 2-4 minutes, the slivered almonds about 3-5 minutes, and the chopped almonds about 7-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and monk fruit.
- In a separate small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond butter and coconut oil until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Whisk into the egg mixture until well combined.
- Add in all the nuts, coconut, and salt, and stir until well combined.
- Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Press very firmly into the prepared pan. Put some muscle into! You need to pack these in so they hold together.
- Bake until the top just feels set, about 15 minutes.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Once cool, slice and DEVOUR!
Tips and Variations:
- Don’t have almond butter on hand, any nut or seed butter will work just fine.
- You can also replace the almonds with chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, or peanuts.
- And if you’re not on a keto diet, why not add unsweetened dried fruit? Dried cranberries, apples, blueberries, or cherries will work very well in this recipe.
- If you don’t like coconut flakes, use puffed quinoa instead to add a lovely, crisp texture to the bars.
Storage:
- The bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
4-Ingredient Keto Chocolate Bars
This keto chocolate is an easy candy bar recipe made with just 3 ingredients! Crispy, chewy, and ready in 5 minutes, each bar has just 2 grams net carbs! Cover anything in chocolate and I’ll instantly be a fan. While I love them in cookies or in blondies, nothing tastes as good as a classic chocolate candy bar. As you’d expect, standard grocery store chocolate and chocolate candy bars are not keto friendly. They are loaded with sugar. While there are some keto friendly chocolate brands out there, they are extremely expensive. A standard keto candy bar is over $8…. Luckily, you can easily make your own in the comfort of your kitchen!
Ingredients:
- Unsweetened chocolate (Bakers chocolate)
- Almond butter (smooth and drippy with no added sugar)
- Sticky sweetener (Lankanto Maple Syrup)
- Coconut oil (optional)
- Nuts/seeds of choice
Instructions:
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, combine your chocolate, almond butter, sticky sweetener and optional coconut oil and melt until combined. Microwave everything in 30-second spurts until the chocolate has mostly melted.
- Add your nuts/seeds of choice and mix until fully combined.
- Pour the chocolate mix into the lined baking dish and spread out using a spatula.
- Refrigerate or freeze until firm.
- Slice into chocolate bars.
Storage:
- This keto chocolate is stable at room temperature in a sealable container. It will keep well for up to four weeks.
Keto OMG Bars
When it comes to this recipe, the name absolutely says it all. These Keto OMG bars are simply divine. I also adore all the different textures. From the crust to the sauce to the crunchy toppings, the combination makes them absolutely irresistible. Ok, I’ll admit, these treats are a little hard to classify. Are they cookies? Are they bars? Are they both? First and foremost, I absolutely must give credit where credit is due: the inspiration for this dessert came directly from Fit Mom Journey’s Magic Bars! Magic bars, which have been around for awhile, usually include chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut on top of a caramel filling over a sweet cracker crust. Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of food bloggers take the traditional recipe and put their own spin on it. But it wasn’t until I came across Fit Mom Journey’s version that I was finally inspired to make my own. For my version, I wanted the crust to be less like a cracker and more like a soft, chewy cookie. A little extra coconut flour and baking powder certainly did the trick. Next, I decided the caramel sauce might make these bars sweeter than I wanted them to be.
Ingredients:
- Almond flour
- Coconut flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Beaten egg
- Melted butter
- Erythritol
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla
- Sea salt
- Stevia
- Coconut
- Pecans
- Chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Line a muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
- Add the beaten egg and mix until incorporated.
- Next, add the 2 tablespoons of melted butter and mix until the dough is uniform.
- Roll the dough into 24 balls, .5-1 inch in size.
- Place one ball per liner and, using your thumb or finger, flatten to fill the bottom.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, melt 10 tablespoons of butter in a pot on the stove.
- Add the erythritol and soft boil for 5 minutes, stirring often. Continue stirring and boiling until the color starts to turn golden.
- Remove from heat and add the heavy cream, vanilla, sea salt, and stevia. Mix until combined, then separate into two even portions.
- Set one portion aside.
- Add 1 teaspoon of sauce per muffin tin.
- In a small bowl, combine the coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips.
Nut Butter Collagen Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nut or seed butter of choice I used roasted almond butter, my homemade extra creamy sunbutter wold be awesome too for nut free version!
- 1/2 cup collagen
- 1/4 cup acacia fiber (or 2 tablespoons coconut flour)
- 1/4 cup Lankanto Maple Syrup ( or other sticky sweeteners if not keto like coconut nectar or or honey)
- 1/4 cup Lankanto Monk Fruit Sweetener. powdered (or any powdered sweetener.
Instructions:
- Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining it with waxed paper.
- In the bowl of a mixer, blend the nut butter, collagen, acacia fiber, and sweeteners. Mixture will be slightly crumbly.
- If it seems super wet still, then likely your nut or seed butter had more oil than mine, so just add a couple more tablespoons of collagen, acacia, or coconut flour to dry it out!
- Press into the pan, folding extra waxed paper over the top and pressing down evenly into the pan.
- On the stove top over low heat, gently melt the chocolate and coconut oil.
Additional Keto Bar Ideas
Here are more ideas to inspire your keto bar creations:
- Mint Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Keto-Friendly Banana Bars
- Cheesecake Snickerdoodle Bars
- Ganache Toffee Cookie Crust Bars
Tips for Keto Bar Success
- Use High-Quality Ingredients: The better the ingredients, the better the taste and nutritional value of your bars.
- Control Sweetness: Adjust the amount of sweetener to your liking.
- Experiment with Flavors: Don't be afraid to try new combinations of nuts, seeds, and extracts.
- Proper Storage: Store your bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto